Esprit d'Incendie
by Flutterby Ashes
Summary: Hino Rei was forced to grow up far too early. Now, she struggles to find happiness and love, and desperately wants to find a place where she fits with her peers. Being a Sailor Senshi has many ups and downs, but can she cope, with the help of her friends?
1. A Destined Love Reborn

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. I am a disgustingly poor graduate student, so don't sue me.

Summary: Hino Rei was forced to grow up far too early. Now, she struggles to find happiness and love, and desperately wants to find a place where she fits with her peers. Becoming a Sailor Senshi has many ups and down, but can she, with the help of her friends, find the place where she truly belongs?

This Chapter: Mamoru and Rei's relationship is blossoming into a deep and understanding love, when Rei has a vision of Mamoru as Tuxedo Kamen and Usagi as the Moon Princess. How will she balance her feelings for Mamoru with her destiny as a Sailor Senshi?

Warnings: (This chapter :) There are none really, a bit of angst and a mildly depressing storyline. This chapter is heavy on Mamoru/Rei, but not in the 'she stole Usagi's man!' kind of way. This chapter is set just before episode 33 (29 in the dub): The Last Sailor Warrior, Sailor Venus Appears (Sailor V Makes the Scene).

.O.

**Esprit d'Incendie**

A Sailor Moon Fanfiction

By Flutterby Ashes

_Chapter 1: A Destined Love Reborn_

.O._  
_

Mamoru sighed, feeling stressed at the level of difficulty of his assignment. Not for the first time, he wished that he'd wanted to be something other than a doctor. He'd been in school for what seemed like forever, and every week's assignments were more daunting than the last. He glanced to his right to see his girlfriend, Hino Rei, staring furiously down at her calculus homework, looking about as confused as he felt. He wondered why the girl was even taking calculus. Sure, she was smart, and her school was one of the more academically rigorous institutions around, but she had taken as an elective. 'Who willingly takes calculus?' he groaned inwardly, wishing that she wasn't working on homework as well; he could use a distraction.

"Why are you even in that class?" he asked, causing her to look up at him. She groaned.

"My father," was her simple reply, and he nodded sympathetically.

Hino Takashi was not a compassionate man. He was a politician, a congressman, and one of the best in Japan at that. It was rumored that the only thing he'd ever loved more than his career was his late wife, Mariko. She'd passed away in a tragic accident many years ago, when she'd slipped and fell while chasing her five year old daughter around her father's temple. It was something Takashi had never forgiven his daughter for. He'd blamed her the night that he had to pull his wife off of life support, declaring that he'd never wanted children, but his wife had insisted on at least having one and he'd relented. After Mariko died, he grew to detest his young daughter, mostly because of how much she resembled her mother. Just a few short weeks after her death, Takashi had shipped his daughter off to live with her grandfather at the very temple that had taken his beloved wife's life.

Not wanting to soil his political image, he made sure to dine out with Rei at least once a month for lunch, always at some place public enough that a wandering photographer or newscaster would catch them and then write a report about how he was doing such a fantastic job as a career man and a doting single father. He had insisted that Rei attend a rigorous, all-girls Catholic school, known for their high standards and the obscenely large number of girls that went on to attend university. He planned all of her course schedules, determining what classes she would take to ensure that she looked like the model child. Rei threw herself into those near impossible courses with all of the vigor she could muster, slaving over her homework assignments, and spending hours every night working to ensure that she would still get high marks. She always held on to the small hope that one afternoon, her father would see her report card and smile, or maybe even call her to tell her that she had done a good job, that he was proud of her.

He was in awe of her work ethic; he knew she had to work hard to keep up with everything that she had going on. She went to school, taking advanced classes all the way, came home to work at the temple most school nights and at least one day each weekend, and spent hours at home working on school assignments. He wondered if she ever slept, and asked her the question.

"What?" she said, bringing her head up to look at him. "Of course I sleep; it's kind of a basic need of life, Mamo-chan."

He laughed then, realizing how ridiculous his question had sounded. "Rei, I didn't mean it so literally. That calculus is really starting to get to you; it's killing your sense of humor!" She glared at him then, but he could see the smile in her eyes. "You work too hard. How much sleep do you get each night?" he asked, a softer tone in his voice. "Oh," she whispered. "I don't know, maybe four or five hours during the week? I can never sleep any longer than that, to be honest, and napping is usually impossible for me."

He shook his head, half wanting to scold her for not taking better care of herself, but he knew it would be in vain. She was, as far as he knew, a perfectly healthy individual, and, as stubborn as she was, any arguments he made to the contrary were certain to fall upon deaf ears. "Why?" she asked, her homework seemingly forgotten. He shrugged, saying, "No reason. It's just amazing how you're able to do all of the stuff that you do. Don't you ever want time to yourself?" She laughed lightly, and to Mamoru it sounded almost sad. "Mamo-Chan, I am by myself most of the time, remember? Especially at the temple."

He regretted asking her that as soon as she'd responded. He knew that she didn't have many friends, and most of the other girls at her school were intimidated by her Shinto beliefs. There were a few that practically adored her, but they were too scared to actually approach her. He knew that she was lonely.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, sliding his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to him. He felt her shake her head against his chest as she murmured, "It's fine."

On a whim, he reached down to tilt her chin up, leaning down to brush his lips against hers. She seemed surprised by his actions, but she kissed him back, granting him entrance as his tongue slid along her lower lip. He brought his free hand up to tangle in her hair, weaving his fingers through the soft ebony strands.

He loved this girl; she was beautiful, smart, funny, and complicated. He wanted to figure her out, to make her spill all of her secrets to him, and to kiss her tears away whenever she was sad. His feelings for her had crept in unexpectedly. When they'd started dating, he was only interested in finding someone with similar interests to spend time with, but now he was interested in all of her.

He pushed her to the floor gently, not breaking their kiss, and pulled her body against his, tangling their legs together. One hand roamed across her back, feeling the smooth but powerful muscles underneath. His hand yearned to slide lower, to cup the curve of her backside and claim that flesh as his own, but he knew better than to do that. She was too young for him to take her body, and they both knew it.

It was so easy for him to forget her age; she had been like him, forced to grow up at a young age and take on responsibilities that most other children would never dream of having to do. It would be so easy for him to lose control, and he wasn't completely confident that she would stop him if he did. After several long moments, he reluctantly pulled his lips from hers, moving to kiss her cheek, her nose, and finally her forehead, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her close. "I love you," he whispered into her hair, glad that he couldn't see her face, knowing what emotions would be brewing in her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered.

She never said it, and he understood why. Love was something, possibly one of the only things, that truly scared her. She had already lost too many people that she had loved, and she was reluctant to show affection to her own grandfather. Yet, those who knew her could understand her confliction. He remembered what she'd whispered to him after he'd declared his affections, as she tried to explain why she didn't know if she would ever be able to admit that she returned them. "If you love someone, then you can lose them," she'd said, her voice thick with tears. "I don't want to lose anyone else." He'd tried to explain to her that what she said wouldn't change how she felt in her heart, and that it would still hurt just the same if she lost someone whether or not she told them how she felt, but she refused to see his point of view. He understood though, and still held on to the hope that one day she would be able to let go of her fears and be honest with herself. He hated seeing the conflict in her eyes when he said it; being able to see the love and the fear brewing together always tore at him, but he thought it was important that she knew just how important she was to him, so he told her anyway.

They lay together like that for some time, with his hand twirling idly through her hair, relaxing in one another's company and thinking about nothing in particular. Finally, he broke the silence, asking, "Do you want help?" She turned her head to look up and him, and he was surprised to see how tired she looked. "What?" she asked, confused. "With your homework," he replied easily, leaning his head down to catch her in a quick kiss. "Oh," she murmured. "Sure, that would be great." He pulled her up with him, moving to sit behind her with his arms and legs wrapped around her.

"Oh, Mamo-Chan!" she gasped, noticing his own, unfinished assignment on the table. "No, you need to finish your work too." He shook his head. "That's not due for a while, Rei. I have plenty of time. Besides, I'd rather help you with this."

Roughly an hour later they'd finished, and Rei sighed heavily. "I can't wait until this semester is over; I'll never have to take math again!" Mamoru laughed gently. "Don't you have entrance exams next semester?" She shook her head, smiling brightly. "My school is on a graduated system; all I have to do is pass this year and I move on to the high school." He nodded his understanding. "Makes sense," he murmured, "Your school's pretty selective to begin with."

She glanced up at the clock, noticing that it was a quarter to ten, and shot up, wriggling her way out of Mamoru's arms. "Oh, no!" she exclaimed. "I'm going to miss my bus! Grandpa's going to kill me if I miss curfew again." He stood up behind her, putting a comforting arm on her shoulder. "Relax, Rei. There's no way I'd let you take a bus home by yourself this late anyway. I'll drive you." She smiled at him gratefully, and he took her hand to lead her out of the apartment.

.O.

Mamoru didn't live far from the temple, and she was climbing up the stairs just as ten o'clock arrived. Yuichirou was still up, sweeping down the veranda to clear it of all of the leaves that had fallen that evening. "Ohayo, Rei-san!" he greeted as she approached, and she'd smiled. "Ohayo, Yuichirou. Is there anything you need me to help with?" He shook his head. "Grandpa wanted to talk to you about something, but he didn't say what it was. Did you want me to start a fire for a bath for you?" he offered, but she shook her head. "It's okay," she said quietly, resisting the urge to yawn. "I'll take care of it. Goodnight, Yuichirou!" she called as she headed into the main house. "Goodnight, Rei-san," he murmured, mildly concerned about the fatigue that was evident on her pretty face.

'No, Yuichirou,' she scolded himself. 'You fell on your ass because of a woman; you don't need to go chasing after another one now.' He sighed, resuming his sweeping and trying to disperse the thoughts of the school girl from his mind.

"Grandpa?" she called, heading into the hallway that housed their bedrooms. The man poked his head out of his own room, regarding her suspiciously. "In here, now," he demanded, and she blanched, wondering what it was that he could be acting so serious about. He gestured for her to sit at the table in the middle of the room, and she obliged, curling her legs underneath herself. He wasted no time. "Were you with that boy again, Rei?" he asked, his voice sounding tired. She furrowed her brow; he had always like Mamoru. "I was," she said slowly. "He was helping me with some calculus homework." The old man nodded, but his face still looked concerned. "The fire showed me…oh, never mind." Her curiosity piqued, she prodded him for more information. "The fire showed you what, Grandpa? And don't you lie to me; I'll ask it myself." He sighed, knowing that she was right. The fire did tend to reveal more to her than it did to him anyway.

"Something is going to happen, Rei, between you and this boy. I saw you, and you were sad, because of it, but you kept saying that it was destiny and that you had to let go."

Rei suddenly found her hands very interesting and studied them intensely. "Oh," she whispered. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, bringing his head to rest by hers. "The fire always tells you more than it does me. You should ask it tomorrow." He kissed her cheek lightly. "Not tonight though, you need your rest, and if I know you you'll sit in front of that fire for hours and won't get a wink of sleep." He laughed lightly, releasing his hold on her. "Now go on," he said, "I need to get my beauty sleep." She headed toward the door, pausing before she slid it shut again. "Thank you, Grandpa," she whispered, and he nodded. It made him sad to see his granddaughter look so down, but he knew she had a right to no. 'The fire wouldn't have shown that to me if it didn't want me to warn her,' he thought to himself.

.O.

Rei glanced at the clock, glaring at the fluorescent numbers that told her it was 2:14 in the morning. After her conversation with her grandfather, she'd taken a quick bath before going back to her room to try and get some more homework done. At around one, she'd decided that she was tired enough to go to sleep, but despite her physical fatigue she'd been unable to fall asleep. Her mind was reeling with the information that he grandfather had given her, and she was understandably worried about it. Hopefully he would let her meditate as soon as she got home from school instead of having her sell charms and fortunes with Yuichirou so she could uncover the meaning of his vision.

After another hour of not being able to attain sleep, she relented, crawling out of her bed and walking as silently as possible down the hallway. The sacred fire was calm when she entered, resting peacefully in its grate, but it leapt to life at her entrance, like an excited puppy pleased to see their master return home. She knelt in front of it, closing her eyes and relaxing her mind. When she was ready, she chanted "Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!" opening her eyes on the completion of the nine syllables to see what the fire had to offer her.

She saw Mamoru and Usagi riding in an elevator of a building that looked to be completely taken over by the Negaverse. Four Sailor Senshi, herself, Jupiter, Mercury, and a girl with long blond hair who she assumed to be Venus attempted to break into the building. She gasped as she saw Mamoru turn into Tuxedo Kamen, and felt tears leap to her eyes as she saw Zoisite wound him. She saw Sailor Moon, kneeling over his still form, as a single tear rolled down her cheek. The tear glowed with a brilliant light, and the seven rainbow crystals rushed forward, fusing with the tear and forming into the brilliant Silver Crystal. The Silver Crystal presented itself to Sailor Moon, and she transformed into the Moon Princess before their stunned eyes. The fire roared toward the ceiling, clearing away the images before falling dormant in its grate.

She couldn't move.

Mamoru was Tuxedo Kamen. Usagi was the Moon Princess. They were destined to be with one another, weren't they? That was what Tuxedo Kamen had said when he explained why he needed the Rainbow Crystals. What about her and Mamoru? Her heart seemed to crumble in her chest. Once they recovered the Silver Crystal, they wouldn't be together anymore. They'd be ripped apart because of destiny. Would Mamoru even care? Tuxedo Kamen had been so adamant about finding the Princess so she could restore his memories. She knew in her heart that once he remembered the Princess, she'd become just a distant memory in his mind; maybe he'd even forget all about her.

She didn't realize when she'd started crying, as lost in her thoughts as she was, but she came crashing back to reality as she felt warm arms wrapping their way around his chest, hearing Yuichirou whisper, "It's going to be alright, Rei-san." She broke then, sobbing quietly against his chest while he held her tightly. "Whatever it is, it'll be alright." She nodded, taking comfort in his embrace, feeling her physical exhaustion catching up to her as she cried herself to sleep. He noticed, and reached down to dry her cheeks. He decided to take her to her bed, and wrapped his arms around her as easily as he could without waking her.

Yuichirou lifted her gently, and then started as he saw her grandfather standing in the doorway. His face was drawn and serious, an expression that he hadn't seen often, and it worried him slightly. The old man sighed, murmuring softly, "I wish she'd stop caring so much for people who only wind up hurting her." The man's eyes focused on the fire intensely. "I wonder what it is that's going to happen. Something she'll never tell us about, I'm sure."

He sighed again, bringing a hand up to rub his temple. "Thank you, Yuichirou," he said quietly, before heading back down toward the rooms. He followed the man, bidding him goodnight as they reached his room. He deposited Rei on her bed gently, reaching underneath her to grab her sheets and cover her with them. He was surprised to see her tired deep violet eyes watching him intensely. "Thank you, Yuichirou," she whispered tiredly, reaching a hand up to cup his cheek. "You're so kind." Her eyes drifted shut, and her hand fell limply down from his face.

He was glad that she had fallen asleep so that she couldn't see how deeply those words made him flush.

.O.

"Hino-san?"

Rei snapped her head up from the work she was attempting. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, and the sleep that she had gotten left her feeling restless and sore. She met the deep brown eyes of a girl she knew of from the high school, flushing slightly at the fact that she had sought her out specifically.

"You're Sato Hikari, right?" she asked, feeling relieved when the girl smiled. "Yes," she said. "I'm so sorry to bother you during study hall," Rei shook her head, showing that she should not be so concerned, "but I was wondering if you would be interested in joining the archery team next year?"

"Archery?" she asked, her voice quiet. "I don't know; I haven't practiced in a long time," she admitted. When she was younger, she had been a junior champion in the sport, with her grandfather's coaching. When she had started at the TA Academy she'd gotten so busy with other things that she hadn't really kept up with you. "Oh," Hikari said, sounded a bit disappointed. "Well, if you're on the fence about it, we're having an open practice next week. It might be worth it to try again and see if you're still any good."

She smiled warmly, and Rei decided that she liked this girl. "Thank you for telling me," she said, honestly. "I'll definitely have to come by." At this, Hikari cracked a huge smile. "Oh, thank you! I don't think you ever really lose your skill; you'll be great! Plus, it'll be so nice to have someone new on the team. Most of us are juniors now, so it's been the same for a while." Rei smiled softly, still fighting the bad mood she was in, and thanked Hikari again. The girl bowed politely before ducking out of the library, apologizing for taking up so much of her time in study hall.

She tried to focus on her school work again and failed miserably. Her thoughts kept drifting to everything she had seen in the fire, and her mind kept painting more and more pictures of Mamoru and Usagi together, one of her closest friends taking the place in Mamoru's heart that she had believed was reserved for her alone.

She was going to end it. Today.

She didn't care how much it hurt her or Mamoru; after all, he would understand once Usagi woke his memories. She couldn't live in a charade. She knew that every touch and kiss would be short lived, and that their true happiness was no longer attainable, so she didn't see the point in dragging the relationship on. In the end, he would be okay. He would be happy with Usagi, wouldn't he? She would be happy one day too, or at least she fervently hoped so.

The rest of the day flew by uneventfully. She'd been unable to focus on her class work throughout the entire day, and several of her teachers had pointed out his peculiar mood. "Hino-san, you're usually such a good student! I won't give you detention this time, but I'd best not catch you dozing off in my class again!" her calculus teacher had yelled, singling her out in front of the entire class and making her blush a deep shade of red. She hated when her teachers called attention to her; it made her feel like a child.

By the time the final bell rang, she was looking forward to the mundane work at the shrine. She hoped that she could spend a little bit of time with Yuichirou and thank him for helping her the night before. He really was a kind man, she mused, but he seemed to know how to push all of her buttons, probably unintentionally. She was convinced that he thought she hated him, but that simply wasn't true. Things around the shrine had been so much better since he had come around. More than anything, she hoped that she could clear her mind of all her negative thoughts and create a solid plan for ending things with Mamoru later that night.

She froze when she walked out into the school yard when she noticed a tall, dark haired man standing at the entrance, causing another student to bump into her roughly. "Geeze, Hino!" the girl yelled. "You'd think you could use your freaky powers to get out of people's way." A few other students chuckled along, and she blushed; she hated feeling embarrassed in front of her peers. As she approached him, Mamoru broke into a wide grin, reaching his hand out to take hers. She blushed deeper as she heard another girl whisper, "_THAT'S_ Hino-san's boyfriend?" She took his hand almost timidly, but he smiled all the same, seemingly oblivious. "Care for a walk home?" he asked, and she nodded; a lump had found it's way into her throat, making it difficult to speak.

As they walked, she was bombarded with images of Mamoru and Usagi. She tried desperately to push them away, growing frustrated when she felt tears pricking at the backs of her eyes. Mamoru must have noticed her distress, because he steered her into a nearby park, guiding her to a bench when they sat for a while in silence.

"What is it?" he ventured quietly. "Did you have a rough day at school?" She'd nodded at that, knowing that it was true. He lifted his arm to wrap it around her shoulders, but she flinched at his touch and pulled away from him gently. "Mamoru," she whispered, her voice cracking in the way that she absolutely hated. He winced at her use of his full name instead of her nickname for him, hearing the crack in her voice that he knew came from unshed tears. "Look at me," he whispered, cupping her chin gently to guide her face toward his.

He sighed, seeing the swirls of emotions in her eyes. She was holding back tears, and he knew that as soon as she blinked again, a few of the crystalline drops would fall. Love, hope, fear, sadness all swirled in her eyes, and it was a strange blend of emotions that he had never seen on her before. "What is it, Rei?" She closed her eyes, and, as expected, a few tears leaked out. He reached forward to brush them away.

"I don't think we should see each other anymore."

"What?" he asked in surprise, pulling away from her, studying her face carefully. "You're serious," he observed, feeling his heart lurch when she opened her eyes to look at him again. "I'm sorry," was all she managed to whisper out, and the words felt like a stake through Mamoru's heart. "Why?" he asked simply, not believing what she was doing. She looked away then, and he knew it was because she was crying now. "You'll understand eventually, Mamoru, I promise. You'll be okay," she whispered.

He sighed heavily, feeling tears coming to his eyes. This was certainly unexpected. "I want to understand now." She groaned. "Mamoru, I need you to trust me. We're not destined to be together, and you'll understand why soon. I wouldn't lie to you," her voice dropped to a whisper. "Not about this."

Mamoru brought his hand up to his forehead, rubbing his temples as he became suddenly angry with her. "How would I know if you lied or not?" he practically hissed, the drastic change in his tone startling her. "You always keep you secrets from me. I should have known somewhere along the line that they would come between us."

"Mamoru!" she gasped. "It's not like that," she began, but he angrily cut her off. "Thank you for reminding me that I don't need to spend my time talking to children, Rei-san." She winced at the honorific, feeling her heart shatter to pieces in her chest. "Mamoru, please," she whispered, and he couldn't take that broken tone in her voice anymore. He stood abruptly and left, leaving Rei rooted to the bench behind him. She could only watch him as he left, silent tears sliding down her cheeks.

It took every ounce of her strength to not jump off that bench to follow him, to kiss him and tell him she was sorry for hurting him, to tell him that she loved him, whispering those words she knew he wanted to hear. The memory of Usagi as the Moon Princess smiling happily at her love, was enough to seal her resolve.

"It has to be this way. It's fate," she whispered to herself, desperately wanting those words to be true.

.O.

Once he'd gotten out of her sight, Mamoru heaved a sigh and sat at a nearby bench. 'Why is she doing this?' he thought angrily. He knew that she was scared to get too close to people, but she'd also said something about destiny. 'How does she know who we're destined to be? Ugh, Mamoru, this is why you need to stay away from little girls. So flighty and irresponsible; she could never have loved you.'

He flinched as he thought those things, knowing in his heart that they weren't true. Rei was nothing if not honest, occasionally brutally so, and she had never given him a reason not to trust her. She did have her fair amount of secrets, but he couldn't blame her for that either, knowing the exact reasons why she strove to keep her heart so guarded. She had alluded to having some psychic abilities with that blasted fire he was too afraid to get close too, so maybe she did know something about destiny. Why had he gotten so angry with her, anyway? She was obviously hurting, and he just had to go and throw all of her insecurities in her face. He would have to go and apologize sometime soon; maybe tomorrow, he mused.

He groaned, grinding the heels of his hands into his eyes in an effort to make sense of all the information jumbling around in his brain.

"Alright, Rei," he murmured into the wind. "I'll trust you."

.O.

AN: A lovely plot bunny that popped into my head while grading papers has become much more than I imagined. I've been on a SM kick lately, re-watching all of the episodes, and I can't believe how much I miss this fandom! Please read and review and leave comments about the story if you'd like. Your comments keep me improving! I always find a thousand errors immediately after I upload, so I might be editing this in the near future; it's been a long time since I wrote anything Sailor Moon or Japanese related. :) Thanks!


	2. An Open Heart

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. I am a disgustingly poor graduate student; please don't sue me.

Summary: Hino Rei was forced to grow up far too early. Now, she struggles to find happiness and love, and desperately wants to find a place where she fits with her peers. Becoming a Sailor Senshi has many ups and down, but can she, with the help of her friends, find the place where she truly belongs?

This Chapter: Seito Yamato muses about his granddaughter's childhood and the things that she has been through in her short life. Yuichirou tries to figure out Rei's different moods while constantly being as good of a friend as he can be. A fake Sailor Moon is running around the city, much to Usagi's dismay. The girls battle with Kunzite and finally reunite with Sailor Venus. Makoto and Rei have a heart to heart in which revelations are made.

Warnings (this chapter): None really. There are some lame battle scene writing and a depressed Rei talking about her past with Makoto. No big deal.

AN: What? An update from me in less than a month? I must be sick or something…oh wait, I am! :) Please read and review!

This chapter takes place during episode 33 (29 in the dub): The Last Sailor Warrior! Sailor Venus Appears (Sailor V Makes the Scene).

.O.

**Esprit d'Incendie**

A Sailor Moon Fanfiction

By: Flutterby Ashes

_Chapter 2: An Open Heart_

.O.

"Yuichirou, you idiot! The veranda is filthy! No one's going to want to come to a shrine when you let it look this decrepit and dirty!"

Seito Yamato sighed, listening to his granddaughter snap at his apprentice for about the eighth time that afternoon. 'She must have ended things with that boy; she's been in a foul mood since she got home from school,' he mused. Not for the first time, he wished that his daughter, Risa, were still alive. She'd always been gifted at making people forget their problems and feel at ease. He wondered if he was to blame for Rei's emotional complexities, but he shrugged it off; he'd done the best he could at raising her, and he knew that he hadn't done a terrible job. 'Still though,' he thought, 'I wish she'd grown up more normally. Then maybe she'd be as carefree and happy as her friends.'

He could hear Yuichirou stammer out an apology, the tone of his voice making it evident that he was surprised by her mood as well. He wondered what the fire had shown her. He could never see anything in the fire like she could; he only ever heard voices. At first, he'd been jealous at her ability to read the fire at such a young age, for he had tried for years to be as skilled at it as she was during her first attempt. He knew though, that some people were born with the ability, and it was now a trait of hers that he was quite proud of. He worried sometimes; she would occasionally get premonitions that she couldn't understand, and she would obsess over them, spending many sleepless nights trying to read the fire to find her answers. She always put too much pressure on herself.

He knew if he asked her why she took so many advanced classes that she would smile lightly, saying that her father was the one who set her schedule, and shouldn't you know that, you crazy old man? But, if he asked her why she worked so much harder in those classes, she would go quiet, her eyes seeming to look far away. He knew that she wanted her father to see her high marks in those classes, because maybe then he would call to congratulate her, or offer to take her out to lunch for a reason not on his political agenda.

He growled quietly. He hated that man, Hino Takashi, who had swept in and stolen his daughter from him with his empty promises of love and adoration. His daughter had been diligent in her schoolwork and in her studies to be a Shinto priestess. Then Takashi had met her, and, entranced by her beauty, pursued her until she relented and began to date him. Somehow, she'd fallen in love with him, and without a glance back she left all of her dreams behind.

Well, all of them except one.

Risa had always spoken of having a large family. She'd wanted to be a priestess and an adoring mother, saying once that she'd wanted at least five children. He'd laughed at her then, telling her she'd be done after one, but she held true. Takashi didn't want children, but he'd wanted his beautiful wife, so he'd agreed that they could have one. Rei had been born, and Takashi had been practically livid that she hadn't given him a son.

Yamato sighed; that man had probably detested Rei from the moment she was born.

He had been devastated by the accidental death of his daughter, even more so knowing that it had happened at the shrine, and that Rei had seen everything. The image his five year old granddaughter, rushing into the fire room, the bottom of her Christmas dress soaked from the snow outside, her mother's blood staining her hands and the chest of her dress popped into his mind, and he quickly shook his head to clear the haunting image. Three months later, when they finally made the decision to take her off of life support, Takashi had gone into a tailspin of rage. He vividly remembered that day. A short while after he'd returned to the shrine from the hospital, Takashi had arrive, dragging a crying Rei up the steps and literally tossing her to the ground in front of him, telling the old man that he couldn't bear to look at the girl who killed his wife any longer. He could still hear Rei screaming after her father, begging him not to leave her, telling him that she was so, so sorry.

The girl did bear a striking resemblance to her mother, even more so now that she was older. She had her mother's wide, sparkling amethyst eyes and jet black hair, but the straightness of her hair had come from her father; Risa's hair had always fallen in soft curls. Yamato suspected that the reason Takashi, even now, couldn't stand to look at his daughter was because her reminded him so much of his departed wife. It still wasn't fair to her.

The thing that angered him most about Takashi was the fact that he still blamed Rei for Risa's death, but Yamato knew it had been an accident. It was Christmas day, and, against Takashi's wishes, Risa had brought Rei to the shrine to visit her grandfather. Rei had wanted to go; she loved the shrine and she enjoyed all of the time she spent with her grandfather, though it wasn't often that Takashi allowed them to go. It had snowed heavily the night before, and there was a lot of ice on the pathways, despite his best efforts to clear them. Rei had asked her mother if they could play in the snow, and she'd happily agreed. She'd asked him to come along too, and he'd promised that he would once he finished cleaning up from their tea.

She'd slipped while they were playing, and she'd fallen backwards, hitting the back of her head against a rock that had been obscured by the snow. The impact had broken her neck just below her skull and gashed her scalp open, leaving a stain of blood on the pristine white snow. They'd taken her to the hospital immediately, but it was too late. They kept her body alive with machines, and Takashi had held out hope that one day the doctors would register some brain activity on the monitors, but that day never came.

Rei had stayed with her father after the accident, and to this day he wondered how Takashi had treated her. The day he'd abandoned her at the temple, she'd had bruises on her arms and legs, some of them old and others were new. He'd never asked her where they came from, and she'd never volunteered the information.

For the first five years that she'd lived with him, her father had sent child support checks. Yamato never used them, refusing to take money from the man he had grown to detest, and instead tucked them away into a trust fund for when Rei was older. As it was now, there was more than enough money in there to send her to college and live comfortably for the rest of her life. He didn't know what she would chose to do with it, or if she would even accept it, knowing that it came from him.

They didn't hear from Takashi for those five years, but everything changed when he ran for congress. He was running on a pro-family platform, and once the media discovered that he had a child of his own, he decided to use her to his advantage. He claimed that he had sent her off to live with her grandfather because she wanted to follow him into the priesthood, playing the adoring, supportive father in a way that had sickened him. He enrolled Rei into the TA Girls Academy, the most prestigious and rigorous school in Tokyo, showing the masses that he believed in a quality education for his child.

The worst were the monthly lunch meetings.

At first, Rei was delighted in finally receiving attention from her father. At the lunches, which were always in public places that the news crews always found out about, he would practically smother her with attention, smiling and laughing with her the entire time. Once they were alone, however, he was cold and distant, often not speaking to her at all. She hadn't cared for a while; in her mind her father had finally forgiven her, and maybe now everything would be alright. As she got older, she quickly learned to tell when he was being fake, and she picked up on the fact that he never offered words of encouragement or congratulations. He simply asked her questions about her school and tried to steer her away from the priesthood, saying she was better suited for a career in politics.

He'd always hated seeing her after those lunch outings. She was always so downtrodden and visibly upset. At least, she was, until she started hiding her emotions under her mask of indifference and anger.

He sighed, glancing over to where she was selling love charms to a group of girls. She was dedicated to the shrine, which was something that he loved, but he was still afraid that some handsome man would come and sweep her off her feet, raking her away from him as Takashi had stolen his daughter. He'd been afraid of that Mamoru at first, but he'd grown quite fond of him as of late. He had a solid head on his shoulders; he wanted to be a doctor and was working hard to achieve his goal. More importantly, he treated Rei well, and he genuinely seemed to care for her. He wondered what it was that she had seen to tear them apart. The fire had whispered something to him about Mamoru needing to be away from her to accept his destiny, that Rei had no place in his heart if the future was to be peaceful.

He sighed again, watching her closely. 'She's been through too much for a fourteen year old girl,' he thought. He bowed in front of the alter, praying quietly that she would find happiness.

.O.

Yuichirou groaned as he swept the veranda down again. Rei was in a terrible mood; he guessed that she must have broken up with that guy. He'd never liked Mamoru. He was too old for her, for one thing, and he'd always sensed some kind of distance that he kept between the two of them. Plus, he was jealous; he didn't want Rei to be falling for anyone other than him.

He sighed. He'd been in love with her since he first met her. Well, perhaps he was only in lust with her at first. She was beautiful, but her beauty was more understated than most other girls. He'd heard boys joking around, saying that she was too plain, but he couldn't have disagreed more. There was a quiet elegance in her, and she was so mysterious with the way she guarded herself. It was something that always attracted him to her, even though he constantly tried to fight it. She was too young for him, anyway, despite how easy it was to forget her age.

He remembered the gentle touch of her hand on his cheek the night before, her softly whispered, "thank you," ringing in his ears. She could be almost unbelievably kind at some points, when she let her guard down and allowed herself to trust others. He hadn't been able to see that side of her often, but he cherished the moments that she did. One day he hoped that she would trust him as she trusted her grandfather, but he knew that wouldn't happen for years.

He sighed, glancing back over at her. 'Stop it, Yuichirou. Don't forget the reason you're here at this shrine in the first place. Don't forget what she did to you,' he thought to himself. He knew he wasn't suited for love, at least not right now.

Once he finished sweeping, he returned to the room with the charms, putting the broom away. There were no customers at the moment, and Rei was leaning against the wall, reading a novel written in English, every now and then stopping to write down some notes; she hadn't noticed him at all.

"Rei-san?" he ventured quietly, causing her to start slightly and look up at him. Her eyes were angry for a spilt second, but then they softened, and he could tell that she was sad. "Yuichirou," she murmured, breaking eye contact with him.

"Are you finished with the tea?" he asked, gesturing toward the kettle that was resting on the table, knowing by now that the liquid inside was cold.

"Oh," she said softly. "Yes, I am. I'm sorry; I should have cleaned that up myself." She moved to gather the discarded teacups and napkins, but Yuichirou knelt down and grabbed her wrist softly. "Finish your homework," he said, winking. "I'll take care of this. Did you want some more?" She shook her head, watching him with a strange look in her eyes. He gathered the dishes and prepared to leave.

"Yuichirou," she called, just as he reached to door. He turned to look back at her, but she wasn't looking at him again. "I'm sorry," she said, "for yelling. I shouldn't have done that." She bit her lip, and for a moment he thought she might cry. "I've just been thinking about a lot of things," she whispered.

He smiled at her. "Don't worry about it, Rei-san. We're all allowed to have bad days." She looked up at him and smiled slightly, though it didn't reach her eyes.

"Arigatou, Yuichirou. You're a good friend."

.O.

Rei sighed as she watched Yuichirou leave. He really was a good friend to her; she didn't know anyone who put up with her the way that he did. Most people either acted like Ami, scolding her for being rude or hateful, or Usagi, who called her out, telling her how mean she was and occasionally saying that they hated her.

She wondered if Usagi really did hate her; sometimes she couldn't tell. They had their spats and arguments almost every time they were together. 'If I were her I would definitely hate me,' she thought, her eyes lingering on the cell phone that was sitting on the table. She'd texted Usagi over an hour ago, telling her that she needed to talk to her and that it was urgent, but the girl had yet to respond. She brought her eyes back to her book, scolding herself for being so wistful.

She really did care about Usagi, probably more than any of their other friends. She was probably the closest thing to a best friend that she had ever had. After all, she'd just ended things with the first man she'd really loved, the first man who'd really loved her, so that Usagi could have her happy ending. She felt tears pricking at her eyes, so she shut them, trying to calm herself and keep them at bay. She'd cried enough over Mamoru already; it wasn't going to change destiny. She needed to tell Usagi what she had seen so that they could be prepared. She should have told Mamoru, but she remembered Tuxedo Kamen saying that he didn't know who he really was.

Her phone rang, and she leapt for it, unashamed at her eagerness. She felt slightly discouraged when she saw Makoto's name on the caller id, but answered it anyway; she might be with Usagi.

"Ohayo, Mako-chan," she greeted, trying to pump some eagerness into her voice.

"Rei-chan, how are you?" the girl responded.

"I'm alright. It's been sort of a slow day at the shrine," she said, gazing out across the courtyard to see her grandfather talking to an older couple.

"Have you been following all of this fake Sailor Moon stuff?"

"Hai, I have. Does anyone have a clue of who she is?"

"No, Usagi is really upset about it though. All day at school she was talking about finding the girl and telling her off." She chuckled lightly.

"Are you with her?" She wanted to know; maybe she could persuade Usagi to come to the shrine and listen to her.

"No. She bolted after school, skipped detention and everything. Haruna-sama was mad. Why?"

"Oh, I just had something I wanted to talk to her about."

"Really, Rei-chan, you need to lighten up on her. She gets really upset with you ragging on her all the time."

Rei winced. She hadn't been too sure of what Makoto had thought of her before, but it looked like she was in the same boat as Ami. "It's not anything like that," she said quietly, and Makoto caught the hurt in her voice.

"I'm sorry; that was really rude of me! I shouldn't have assumed," she said quickly, sounding embarrassed.

"It's alright," she said, trying to dismiss it. "I really hope she doesn't get herself into trouble with this. You know Usagi; sometimes she acts without thinking things through and…"

A vision flashed across her eyes, forcing her into silence. The fake Sailor Moon was being hoisted into the air by Kunzite. She complained about the discomfort in her arms, but he laughed it off. "It'll all be worth it once we kill the real Sailor Moon." Rei gasped.

"Rei-chan? Where'd you go? Hello?" Makoto was calling through the phone.

"We have to find her, Mako-chan. She's walking into a trap!"

.O.

They'd finally found her and Luna nearly an hour later, after Ami had joined in the search and was able to locate her on her computer. Usagi had seen the fake hanging from a crane, but someone had rescued her before she got there. "It was probably Tuxedo Kamen-sama," Usagi groaned, "That's why she's here! She's trying to steal my man!"

"Usagi," Rei started, but the girl turned around and fixed her with a glare. "Don't you dare start with me, Hino-san!" she shouted, and Rei winced at her use of such a formal title. "I'm still mad at you for yesterday! I don't think I ever want to hear from you again."

Makoto's jaw dropped, and Ami quickly stepped in to alleviate the situation. "Usagi-chan, don't be so mean," she said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Rei-chan was the one who figured out that this was probably a trap. She's the whole reason we came here to help you."

Usagi trust her hands on her hips. "Well, clearly, she lied. This wasn't a trap and I didn't need your help," she snapped, sending a pointed glare at Rei, who took a step backwards at Usagi's harsh tone.

"Usagi-chan! You're being unfair," Luna chided. "She's your friend. I can't believe you're still so sore over her poking fun at that horrible mark you got."

"Unfortunately for you, Sailor Moon," a deep voice drifted over them, "Mars was correct. This is a trap, and you've fallen right into it." Sinister laughter washed over them.

"That's Kunzite!" Makoto gasped. "Stop being a coward! Come out here and fight us like a man!" she shouted as the girls got into a fighting stance with their backs to one another, trying to see in all directions.

"Gladly," he said, laughing again as he appeared above them "Prepare to die, little girls."

His had struck forward, forming a ball of dark energy that hurtled towards them, becoming dome shaped before slamming down on them forcefully. The walls of the dome sparked with electric energy. Rei attacked, attempting to break the barrier around them, but it simply absorbed her power, sending it right back at her. The force of the attack knocked her backwards against Makoto's back.

"Mars, are you alright?" Ami asked, a slight hint of panic in her voice. She nodded stiffly, ignoring the pain in her arms, from where she had blocked her face, and her abdomen. Makoto tried as well, but her attack reflected back into her, causing her to fall back against Rei, shocking them both.

"Stupid girls," a lilting voice filled the air. "Do you really think that you could break through this barrier with those pathetic little attacks of yours?"

Ami looked up after helping Rei back to her feet. "Zoisite!" she gasped, recognizing their other enemy. He laughed, landing outside of the barrier and regarding the Senshi with a sadistic gleam in his eyes. "How delightful. Not only have we gotten rid of Tuxedo Kamen, but now we'll be rid of you as well."

"What did you do to Tuxedo Kamen-sama?" Usagi yelled, running at Zoisite, but stopping at the barrier. Rei felt her breath catch in her throat. They couldn't have killed Mamoru, could they?

Zoisite laughed again. "Oh, don't worry, Sailor Moon. You'll be joining him soon enough." He jumped, joining Kunzite in the sky again. "Oh Tuxedo Kamen!" he called, his voice mocking. "Come out here, and hand over your crystals, or they'll all die. You might as well just give in; you don't have much time left."

Suddenly, the barrier began to constrict around them, sending bolts of electricity in all directions. 'Not dead,' Rei thought, struggling to stay on her feet as the electricity coursed through her. 'There's still hope for the future.'

The dome was forcing them closer to one another as they tried to avoid contact with the electric walls. Dimly, she could her Usagi crying beside her, and she reached to grab her hand, squeezing it in reassurance. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tuxedo Kamen, holding his shoulder gingerly.

"Aha!" Zoisite laughed again. "There you are. I knew you couldn't let your little fan club die."

Suddenly, there was a flash of orange light above them. Kunzite cried out in pain and, with his concentration lost, the barrier around them shattered. Usagi stood up quickly, ripping her hand away from Rei's. On a pylon in the distance stood a girl, her Senshi fuku easily recognizable. "Who are you?" Kunzite demanded, cradling his injured hand. The girl jumped down, landing close to them. Her fuku was orange with blue and yellow bows, and her long, blonde hair swirled around her, part of it held up in a red ribbon. "So beautiful," Usagi whispered.

"I am Sailor Venus!" the girl called, fixing her gaze on Kunzite. "Now that the five of us have been reunited, our team is complete! There's no way you'll defeat us now." A defiant smile played along her lips.

"Very well then," Kunzite growls. "I guess I'll just have to do away with all of you at once!"

"Kunzite! Zoisite! Stop what you're doing and return to base immediately!" a woman's voice yelled. "Queen Beryl!" Zoisite shouted. "We have them all right here! We can kill them easily!" An image of a red haired woman appeared in the sky behind them. "How dare you question my orders!" she snapped. "Return to base immediately!"

Kunzite fixated the Senshi with an evil glare. "This isn't over, little girls," he murmured before the two of them vanished.

"Tuxedo Kamen-sama!" Usagi yelled, turning to see where he had been standing. "Where-where did he go?" she asked, her voice sounding forlorn. "He was injured," Ami murmured. "Oh, I do hope he is alright."

"Thank you, Sailor Venus," Rei said, turning to face their newest teammate. A white cat ran to stand next to her, the crescent moon on his forehead matching Luna's. The other cat jumped out from her hiding place gleefully. "Artemis! I thought I was never going to see you again!" she raced to evaluate the cat next to her. "It's good to see you too, Luna," the cat said, his voice deep and masculine.

"So you're the other Senshi?" Venus asked, looking at them carefully. "I'm glad we're finally all united! It was fun running around by myself and all, but everyone needs friends, right?" she said, a smile gracing her features.

"Running around by yourself?" Usagi asked, and Makoto gasped. "You're Sailor V!"

She laughed then. "I was, for a time. There's only so much we can do on our own. Together, we'll be unstoppable!

The white cat cleared his throat, causing all of the girls to look down at him. "We've got to run, but let's plan on meeting at the Hikawa Jinja tomorrow afternoon after school." Venus nodded. "Sounds like a plan. See you tomorrow, girls!" she said, and with that, she turned on her heel and left, jumping over a small wall and disappearing from their sight with Artemis hot on her trail.

Ami and Makoto transformed back into their regular selves, relaxing. Rei sighed, feeling the rush of cool air wash over her as she reverted back into her priestess robes. Looking beside her, she could see that Usagi had done the same. Her body ached, and a quick glance at Makoto told her that the taller girl was sore as well.

"It's getting late," Ami observed. We should be getting home. The other girls nodded. "Thank you, Rei-chan," Makoto said. "I'm glad that we were all here to help Usagi out." She smiled at that, nodding to the girl. "Let's go home then," Makoto said, heading toward the nearest bus station.

"Usagi," Rei said, matching her strides with the shorter girl as they walked. "I need to talk to you about something. Come with me to the shrine? Yuichirou can take you home after." Usagi glared at her, and Rei froze in mid-step. Was she really still so angry with her?

"I don't want to hear your loudmouthed 'I told you so,' speech, Rei-chan," she snapped, and Rei felt slightly relieved that she had used a less formal title this time.

"It's not like that at all, Usagi. This is really, really important," she tried again. She wanted to tell Usagi first and on her own; she knew that the girl was going to have a lot of different thoughts and questions running through her head, and it would be easier for her to help if the other girls were asking their own questions as well. "I'm sorry that I made fun of you; I really am. I didn't mean to upset you like this. Please, I need to talk to you."

"I don't care," Usagi said.

"Usagi-chan, stop being so rude," Luna scolded.

"What, Luna, now you're going to gang up on me too?" she shrieked.

"Usagi," she tried again, knowing that she had to tell the girl what was going on.

"Stop calling me that, Rei-chan," the girl snapped again. "We're not that close. You can tell me whatever it is tomorrow when we meet with everyone else."

She stopped walking then, as did Ami and Makoto. They were all stunned with how harsh Usagi was being with Rei. 'Although,' Ami thought, 'it's not like she doesn't deserve it.'

"Usagi-chan," Makoto said, "I think you should get some sleep. You seem a little bit stressed. The girl continued walking along, covering a large yawn with her hand.

"You're right, Mako-chan. The faster I get home, the better." They all started walking again, and Ami jogged a bit to catch up with Usagi. Makoto eventually caught up with them, but Rei stayed fairly far behind, mulling over her own thoughts.

'You always do this to yourself, Rei. You take people for granted and treat them poorly, and you always wonder why they eventually stop putting up with you.' She sighed, watching the girls in front of her. She didn't really fit in their group, at least not the way she was now. 'You're going to have to let them into your heart sooner or later,' she told herself. 'Our destinies are intertwined; they're not going anywhere.'

Ahead of her, Ami and Usagi had stopped walking. They'd reached a bus stop and it happened to be one that would take them to their homes. "Goodnight, Mako-chan, Rei-chan," Ami said quietly. "We'll see you tomorrow!"

"Goodnight," Makoto and Rei both murmured, heading a bit further down the street to catch a bus that would take them home.

"She's not that mad, you know," Makoto said, watching Rei out of the corner of her eye. The girl didn't seem convinced; her eyes were still staring far away. "She's apparently got this crazy idea in her head that if she acts like a brat to you then you'll loosen up on her."

Rei scoffed. "It's working."

"Why are you so tough on her?" she asked, genuinely curious.

Rei sighed heavily. She knew why she was hard on her, but would Makoto understand? She might just think she was insane. "She needs someone to be hard on her," she said simply. Makoto stopped walking and grabbed her hand to stop her.

"What are you talking about?" Right, she thought she was insane. She racked her brain, trying to come up with a way to explain what she thought. She wondered if Makoto would tell Usagi everything that she said anyway.

She shrugged. "No one's hard on her. She slacks off and acts lazy because no one ever cares enough to push her to be better. She's not stupid, but her marks are horrible because she doesn't want to try. She has plenty of qualities that are perfect for a leader, but she's a terrible one because she doesn't want to try." She sighed. Now that she was saying it out loud, it did sound stupid. "I guess I just thought that if I was hard on her then she'd try to be better, that she'd be everything she could be." Makoto was regarding her curiously. "I don't know, now that I've said it I think it's stupid. What was I thinking?"

"You really care about her, don't you?" Makoto asked, sounding a little bit surprised. Rei nodded, staring down at her feet. "I don't think it's stupid," she said finally, and Rei smiled up at her. "You don't really know how to deal with people, do you? You seem very…guarded."

Rei bit her lip. Was she really becoming that transparent? "It's okay though," Makoto interjected, noticing her distress. "I am too. Every since my parents died, I just…I don't know. I didn't want anyone getting too close."

"When people get too close they can hurt you," Rei said quietly, and Makoto nodded. "I didn't know about your parents; I'm sorry, Mako-chan."

The girl shrugged. "I miss them sometimes, but having friends like you guys makes it hurt less," she admitted. "What about your parents? What do they do and where do they live? Why do you live with your grandfather anyway?" Makoto asked, questions spilling out before she could stop them. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be so nosey!"

Rei smiled slightly, debating with herself whether or not she should tell Makoto the truth. 'You have to let them in, Rei. They're not going anywhere.' She took a deep breath. "My mom died when I was five," she said quietly, her voice breaking over the words. She realized abruptly that she'd never admitted that out loud.

Makoto's hand squeezed her shoulder, encouraging her to go on. She cleared her throat before speaking again, her voice a little stronger this time. "My father is a congressman."

Makoto gasped. "Congressman Hino is _your_ father? That's incredible!"

"He abandoned me with my grandfather after my mother died," she finished, feeling a bit depressed. Makoto shut her mouth, an embarrassed blush covering her cheeks. "Oh, don't be like that," she chided. "It's not like you knew." She sighed again. "It's complicated, really. My mom died in an accident, and my father, well, he didn't know how to cope with it, and he'd never really wanted children, so he didn't know how to react. Oji-san says it because I look so much like my mother, and he couldn't stand to be reminded of her all the time. He takes me to lunch every now and then to keep up appearances, and he sends me to a great school, but he's not really involved anymore."

Makoto was looking at her with the most sympathetic look on her face, and Rei smacked her shoulder lightly. "Don't look at me like that, Mako-chan. It's all turned out for the best, anyway." The taller girl raised her eyebrow skeptically.

"How many people have you told that to?" she asked, her gaze stern.

"Just you, Mako-chan," she said quietly. "I…I don't really have a lot of friends. I definitely don't have any close friends. I've always been alone, more or less."

"What about that Mamoru guy? He's your boyfriend, right?"

Rei screwed her eyes shut, feeling that annoying pinprick of tears at the back of her eyes and desperately trying to keep them at bay. "Was," she whispered. "We actually ended things earlier this afternoon. He…he was too old for me. Things just weren't working out."

"I'm sorry," she said, a slightly pained look in her eyes. "Is that what you wanted to tell Usagi?" Rei shook her head.

"No. Well, not completely. I had a vision about her, and I just wanted to talk to her about it, just so she could be ready for it if it was true."

"I wish I could have visions about the future," Makoto said, a wistful look in her eyes.

"No," Rei said firmly. "You really don't. They can be a burden. Sometimes they're complete torture. You don't have any say in what you see or when you see it or how horrible it is."

Makoto studied her carefully for a minute. "You're a lot more than you seem, Rei-chan," she said, smiling at the shorter girl. "I'm glad you told me these things."

Rei smiled back at her, for a moment her troubles forgotten as they resumed their walk to the bus. "Mako-chan, please don't tell anyone what I told you," she said after a while. "I…I want to do it myself."

"Of course. There's some sort of therapy in talking it out with other people; that's always what has helped me to feel better, anyway." she said, sitting on the bench as they'd finally reached their stop. "But, maybe you really should lighten up on Usagi-chan for a little bit, okay? At least until she calms down." Rei nodded, sitting down next to her.

"Thank you, Mako-chan."

.O.

She crept into the house as quietly as she could manage. It was nearly two o'clock in the morning; her grandfather would have a fit if he caught her coming in this late. Waking up Yuichirou would be even worse; he'd launch into a rant about how young girls shouldn't be riding the bus all alone so late at night, smothering her with concern until she finally persuaded him to go back to sleep. Thankfully, the hallway was dark and empty. Her steps were silent as she approached her bedroom, sliding the door open with barely more than a whisper.

"Where have you been?"

She jumped backwards, smacking her hands over her mouth to stifle the scream that came out. There, sitting on her floor with his arms crossed and a stern expression across his face sat her grandfather.

"Oji-san!" she gasped. "You startled me." She entered the room, sliding the door shut behind her and turning on the light.

"Where were you?" he asked again.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I was at Usagi-chan's and I fell asleep. I was going to just stay there, but I thought you'd be worried if I wasn't here in the morning."

"You know better than to be traipsing around the city late at night." He scolded. "You're fourteen years old; do you know how dangerous it is for you to be out by yourself?"

"I wasn't alone," she said, feeling guilty for lying to him and making him worry. "Mako-chan was with me. She's only a few stops away from here."

"Two fourteen year olds alone late at night. That sounds like a predators dream." He snapped, and Rei knelt down next to him, hugging him gently.

"I'm sorry, Oji-san," he whispered. "I really am." The old man sighed, returning his granddaughter's embrace.

"Promise me you'll stay next time, and just call me to tell me where you are," he said, sounding tired. "Don't make me sit up all night worrying about you, Rei. You're all I have left."

She kissed his cheek. "I promise."

.O.

She couldn't sleep again. Rolling over in her bed, she saw that it was already four in the morning. It was going to be another long day at school. She flipped over onto her back, trying in vain to clear her thoughts and calm her mind enough to go to sleep.

Her chat with Makoto had made her feel somewhat better about opening up to her new friends, but a part of her was still worried that the girl would betray her trust and tell the other's her secrets. She shook her head, trying to clear the negative thoughts away. She just couldn't believe that Makoto would do that to her. After all, they were somewhat similar, weren't they? She'd lost a lot, too.

She wondered what Usagi would say about her vision; she hoped that the girl didn't just laugh at her or tell her she was ridiculous. She and Mamoru weren't the best of friends, so it was likely that she would think Rei was insane for suggesting that they be destined for one another.

Mamoru. She sighed as her thoughts drifted to him and their conversation from the afternoon. She'd wanted to plan it out before she'd done it, but then he'd just shown up, and everything had fallen apart from there. He'd been so angry at her, but she couldn't blame him. She'd dated him, kissed him, spent so much time with him, yet she never told him she loved him too, and the afternoon after a sweet evening spent together she'd smashed his heart back in his face.

She groaned. Why had everything gotten so complicated recently? She almost wished she'd never discovered that she was Sailor Mars. Sometimes, she hated it. She hated the soreness and injuries that lingered after battle. She hated lying to her grandfather and Yuichirou. She hated breaking Mamoru's heart. She hated having to open up to other people and trust them.

The tears that she'd been holding in all afternoon finally broke through, and she buried her face in her pillow, sobbing quietly until she finally fell asleep, her body thoroughly exhausted.

.O.

AN: Please read and review! I'm not so great at editing, so I really appreciate all of the feedback I can get! Also, happy holidays!


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